Thai tourism: Expect a million unemployed workers in sector and more businesses going bust in Q4

[webfact]

Thai tourism: Expect a million unemployed workers in sector and more businesses going bust in Q4

 

Picture: Voice TV

 

The chief of the Tourism Council of Thailand has repeated dire predictions for the end of the year in the country's tourism sector. 

 

Chairat Trairattanajaratporn pulled no punches in a frank assessment of where the country is now compared to last year and where it is likely headed over the coming months. 

 

He said that the 4th quarter will be 99.52% down on last year in terms of tourist numbers. 

 

Revenue would be down 99.11% on last year's end of year figures. 

 

He expected more businesses to close by the end of the year.

 

He said that so far 500,000 out of 4.2 million workers in tourism had lost their jobs. 

 

A further 500,000 will be made redundant before the end of the year making a million in total. 

 

He was also reported by Voice TV as saying that some businesses who had opened up again on the promise that Thai domestic tourism numbers would be enough had closed again.

 

Despite stimulus measures from the government, domestic tourism was not enough to sustain the sector.

 

Index surveys of confidence among 700 selected companies have shown a recent improvement but it is still well short of normal levels.

 

He said that his appeals to the government for more help had fallen on deaf ears and they need to do more to help tourism both in terms of the businesses and the people they employ. 

 

Source: Voice TV

 

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[Justgrazing]

Yep .. things ain't getting better .. 

The begging emails are even coming from the water buffalo as well now .. 

[RotBenz8888]

They should use this spare time to contemplate how they have treated foreign tourists.

[Sharp]

27 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

Yep .. things ain't getting better .. 

The begging emails are even coming from the water buffalo as well now .. 

Certainly no sick buffalo emails they have all  been eaten im guessing!!

[finnsk]

The actual covid situation is still critical for the tourism industry, that everybody can understand.

 

But talk about wrest gps to all farrang tourist, to weeks prison alike qurantine for farrang tourists, putting farrang in jail for up til 5 year for complaining over a restaurant, talking about farrang is dirty, all this talks from the authorities is not making any good to tourism industry in Thailand.

 

Now Thailand should prepare for a reopening of tourism, when the covid situation is ready, but it looks like they better like to shoot them selves in their feeds in stead of taking care of the tourism industry.

Edited October 2, 2020 by finnsk

[RichardColeman]

And does the illustrious leader with 200,000,000,000 baht in the bank give a damn ? Does he .....!

[rupert the bear]

interesting,a voice of reason.in my estimation more than a million have lost their jobs.its a sad state of affairs he rightly points out.no assistance has been given to so many people,its shameful.

[hashmodha]

1 hour ago, finnsk said:

The actual covid situation is still critical for the tourism industry, that everybody can understand.

 

But talk about wrest gps to all farrang tourist, to weeks prison alike qurantine for farrang tourists, putting farrang in jail for up til 5 year for complaining over a restaurant, talking about farrang is dirty, all this talks from the authorities is not making any good to tourism industry in Thailand.

 

Now Thailand should prepare for a reopening of tourism, when the covid situation is ready, but it looks like they better like to shoot them selves in their feeds in stead of taking care of the tourism industry.

I agree with this, they need to coordinate with eachother(Which is very obvious they don't do!!!), connect with Embassies worldwide, )right now as I write there are conflicting information channels on various platforms) begin to respect the  visitors,travellers and tourists, not using the word "Foreigners" and Farrangs, they need to  re-educate the entire tourism industry in creating a fresh image, most of all kick out the old brains who are  occupying the important positions within the system which just gives out toxicity,the media these days is extremely robust with the way it builds up momentum,I know this subject well having worked in the Tourism industry.I am very aware the quality of travellers have changed over 30 years too! This poses very challenging circumstances to the global Tourism industry

Edited October 2, 2020 by hashmodha
Additional details..

[hansnl]

The only thing missing to make things even worse is to make the lives of the remaining expats even more difficult by unnecessary rules, and there will be another million people jobless and a rather big loss of incoming foreign cash.

Stop the double pricing, including that one in  State Hospitals to start with, get rid of the 90-day for expats living in Thailand for more than 5 years, etc, etc.

Don't see the Chinese government's doings as a good example.......

Edited October 2, 2020 by hansnl

[steven100]

keep blowing that trumpet    !     

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by steven100

[brain150]

I don't understand why anybody still thinks the Government has any interest in bringing back

mass tourism.

The Supreme Leader is a huge pawn of the UN and their Agenda 2030 does not include mass tourism !

Quite the opposite ! Mass tourism and sustainability are opposites and as such are no longer wanted !

To reach this target, the tourism industry needs to be destroyed and reshaped ... world wide.

 

Airlines going broke ! All part of the agenda !!!

 

... look at what they do - not at what they say !!!

This is not over by a long shot and it will get much worse in the next 3 month

[JusticeGB]

In Pattaya about 50% of bars, restaurants and hotels are already closed and most of the rest don't have customers. I take my ex wife and daughter to dinner twice a month and have to go to the dark side for a decent meal. Expats live there so restaurants there are doing good business and people in Pattaya are going to the dark side to eat if they want a decent restaurant. 

[natway09]

Does this guy really think that the Government is not aware of tourism's plight ?

He must be a slow learner.

The Government has been trying to protect the lives of it's people & this unprecedented situation

is a balancing act with some dire consequences if caution is thrown to the wind.

Have a look at France right now 

[phantomfiddler]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

And does the illustrious leader with 200,000,000,000 baht in the bank give a damn ? Does he .....!

200 Billion ? that says a lot for getting ahead in Thailand ????

[Mung]

2 hours ago, finnsk said:

5 year for complaining over a restaurant

This is probably the most concerning thing from your post. That American tourist probably never imagined things would snowball to this length, and it could only ever happen in Thailand, or their big daddy China. It's truly disgraceful that opinion is punished with imprisonment in LOS - at least the whole thing has blown-up in Thailand's face. 

[Dialemco]

Now the predicted panick we have to live with Covid and accept that cases will rise once foreign tourism restarts so must be done in a safe and realistic way without quarantine but testing before leaving home countries and again upon arrival. Maintain safe distancing face masks alcohol restrictions etc  Lack of Tourism is a problem affecting many countries as well as recession so many potential tourists will have other financial  priorities so tourism cannot be on anything like same scale as before. 

[fred110]

All this for a virus that 99% survive.

[ChipButty]

This just feels like we have turned the clock back 25 years, when I first arrived in Thailand

[steelepulse]

8 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

This just feels like we have turned the clock back 25 years, when I first arrived in Thailand

The beaches sure seemed that way when they let us get back on the beaches.  They are getting a bit more crowded now, but they are still at pre tsunami level days as far as people on the beach.

[oldhippy]

15 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

This just feels like we have turned the clock back 25 years, when I first arrived in Thailand

Tourism, the monster that eats it's own children.

 

[Cake Monster]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He was also reported by Voice TV as saying that some businesses who had opened up again on the promise that Thai domestic tourism numbers would be enough had closed again.

Many Businesses had reopened with not only all the hype from the Government that Domestic Tourism would save them from ruin, and also in the hope that the restrictions on Foreign Tourist would be lifted by now, which would also give them a chance over High Season to save their Businesses from going under.

The stark realization that neither of these things is goingto save them will be the final straw that broke the Camels back for many.

 

[geisha]

Personally, I think tourism doesn’t have to be mass. That’s Thailand who let it happen. Who gave permission  to build ( or turned a blind eye) to all the illegal hotels, résidences, encroached on Forest and beach areas ? Why can’t Thailand control its local authorities ? 
If they had decent consuls and embassy’s abroad , and a functional online visa service everywhere, ( other counties do, even Myanmar Cambodia ) it would be good for real tourists and Thailand. Nothing has to be mass, uncontrolled , destruction.

[Chiang Mai Bill]

''He said that so far 500,000 out of 4.2 million workers in tourism had lost their jobs.''

 

I don't understand these figures. If the tourist industry is devastated (and we know it is) and the main resorts and islands are virtually shut down, shops, bars, restaurants, clubs all closed down -- and ''Revenue would be down 99.11% on last year's end of year figures'' -- and only 500,000 have lost their jobs -- then what are the ''currently employed'' 3,700,000 doing? What and where are they employed?

 

Certainly they ain't working in Chiang Mai!

 

Perhaps Chairat Trairattanajaratporn needs to get a grip on things -- certainly to get a grip on Press statements!

 

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Chiang Mai Bill
grammar error

[tyga]

hmmm, so locals and foreigners already here in Thailand spend less than 1% of the total. This area is swarming with local tourists so they obviously forgot that bit...

[mikeymike100]

1 hour ago, fred110 said:

All this for a virus that 99% survive.

Its closer to 99.8% survival rate!

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

keep blowing that trumpet    !     

 

 

 

And playing those violins.

[TheFreqFlyer]

Thai tourism is only enough during holiday periods and outside of these periods, localities that normally rely on Thai tourists anyway, places that farang have never heard of, such as Bang Saphan, Prachuab Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Nakorn Sri Thammarat, Ranong, Chanthaburi, Beung Kan, Yasothorn, Tak, Phichit etc. all the secondary provinces. 

 

Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Chang, Koh Samet, Samui, these places are in dire trouble without foreign tourists. 

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Yep .. things ain't getting better .. 

The begging emails are even coming from the water buffalo as well now .. 

What's the email address? I may be able to help, if it's a good looking buffalo.

[TheFreqFlyer]

33 minutes ago, Chiang Mai Bill said:

''He said that so far 500,000 out of 4.2 million workers in tourism had lost their jobs.''

 

I don't understand these figures. If the tourist industry is devastated (and we know it is) and the main resorts and islands are virtually shut down, shops, bars, restaurants, clubs all closed down -- and ''Revenue would be down 99.11% on last year's end of year figures'' -- and only 500,000 have lost their jobs -- then what are the ''currently employed'' 3,700,000 doing? What and where are they employed?

 

Certainly they ain't working in Chiang Mai!

 

Perhaps Chairat Trairattanajaratporn needs to get a grip on things -- certainly to get a grip on Press statements!

 

 

Good point. On the one hand, I wouldn't like to think what would happen in terms of criminality and all that with 3.7 million fired workers, but on the other hand, you can't keep employing people if you have nothing to pay them with, just for the sake of them having a job. 

[oldhippy]

12 minutes ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

Good point. On the one hand, I wouldn't like to think what would happen in terms of criminality and all that with 3.7 million fired workers, but on the other hand, you can't keep employing people if you have nothing to pay them with, just for the sake of them having a job. 

QUOTE: but on the other hand, you can't keep employing people if you have nothing to pay them with

 

Earlier on in this thread somebody quoted 200,000,000,000 baht.